Life starts earliest in Arizona, which now defines gestational age as beginning on the first day of a woman’s last period, rather than at fertilization. In practice, that means the state has banned abortions after about 18 weeks (20 weeks from the last menstruation) except in the case of medical emergencies.

According to this law all women could be considered pregnant, even if they aren’t or even if they haven’t had sex yet. It’s the Immaculate Conception Law! Don’t believe me? Then consider this: A woman is a virgin (or hasn’t had sex for several weeks) during her period. Approximately two weeks later she has sex and becomes pregnant. According to Arizona Law she was pregnant on the first day of her last period. It’s a flippin’ miracle!

Not to mention that there are all sorts of societal restrictions/pressures on pregnant women. Could Arizona bars and restaurants refuse to serve women alcohol because the law says every woman is pregnant before she is actually pregnant? Sounds silly, but I’ve been in restaurants where other patrons and staff have chastised a pregnant woman who ordered a glass of wine. Perhaps women shouldn’t be allowed on rides that carry a warning at an amusement park? Or women can no longer buy cigarettes? Or all women will have to take prenatal vitamins?

Comments (7)

The burden of proof on when a woman’s period began seems to be the weak link in this law. All the woman would have to do is say “my last period began a week ago”, regardless of how close she is to her due date.

Reis, a lot of doctors now want women to have screening ultrasounds to “establish gestational age”. Obviously, with legal consequences for various kinds of medical procedures, acted on pregnant women, this screening would be routine for ALL women supposed to be of childbearing age.

That’s untold hours of a procedure whose long term safety, both on these potential fetuses, and on the irreplaceable eggs in a woman, have not been assessed. At all. http://www.fetalultrasoundsafety.net/

I’ll be in Arizona with a vacuum bottle and an electrified fence before I let this happen.

Wait until these “personhood” and “life begins at conception” states start installing vaginal ultrasound equipment at airports and train stations so pregnant women can’t go to another state or country for fear that thet will have an abortion. Or how about county sheriffs at the border with mobile vaginal ultra sound equipment, if they’re more powerful than the POTUS they will certainly claim the power to prohibit pregnant women from leaving the county to potentially abort.

Women of child bearing years will have to get permission slips to go to pro choice countries or states…

It’s been what, two years since the immigration law was passed? Before that, I had vacationed four times in Arizona, and had planned not only to do so again, but possibly to retire there — I like the scenery, climate and outdoor activities that much.

I wonder how many others have joined me in writing the state out of their plans?

When I got pregnant, I had to explain to my friends how it worked that I wasn’t pregnant when we went out that weekend 3 weeks ago, and yet somehow I was 4 weeks pregnant then. Oh, The eyebrows that raised.

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